


sweet (and there is no bitterness with it)

by wollfgang



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Angst, Deckerstar is endgame don't worry, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Too Many Fruit Metaphors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-19
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2019-08-04 11:47:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16346141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wollfgang/pseuds/wollfgang
Summary: Eve reaches out, encircles her fingers around his wrist the way a serpent entangles a branch. There's no danger in it, though, her eyes are warm in Lux’s low lighting.“Sam,” she entreats.His whole body stiffens. His name is an old wound, not fully healed. Then his spine loosens, body language going soft. It's been...so long since someone called him that, someone who knew him, knew what it meant.“Eve,” he says, the single syllable of her name spilling of his tongue with too much ease. His body curls towards her, unable to resist the pull of habit.





	1. Chapter 1

She's easy enough to spot. Her dress is a solid, pure white. Dark hair spills over her shoulders in full, luscious curls. There's something different about her, something that makes her stand out in a crowd. Already there are humans flocking to her. 

Lucifer prowls forward, something like anger spurring his feet. 

“I thought I told you to stay upstairs.” The words leave him in a growl. Her retinue of admirers scatter in the face of his anger. 

Eve turns to face him and arches an unimpressed eyebrow, and yeah, that's fair. He should have known she wouldn't listen, not when such temptation was right below. 

He snorts. History just kept repeating itself, didn't it? He ought to flash his eyes at her, scare her into submission, but she's never been easy to frighten and she hasn't been submissive a day in her life, no matter what the storybooks say. The burn of bourbon down his throat is not enough to quell his resignation, though it does take the edge off. 

She steals his next shot. A burst of indignation surges in his blood, but he doesn't stop her and it dissipates as quickly as it had come. He watches her swallow, cough, and make a face. She sets the little glass down, looked revulsed. 

It's not funny, it _isn't_. Yet, it bubbles up in his chest before he ruthlessly shoves it down. He gets Patrick's attention and orders her something sweet. Fruity. 

He still remembers her tastes. 

A moment later Patrick sets it in front of her, an expression of curiosity directed toward Lucifer on his face. A quick scowl in response has the man returning to professional circumspection. Eve makes a delighted sound at the drink and he turns to catch her expression, her eyelashes fluttering. 

Something old and almost forgotten puffs up with pride at pleasing her. He used to do that when they were young. Bring her new things to eat, new experiences to try. Anything to please her. Until it all fell apart. 

“What is it?” she asks, curious. She studies the glass. Always, insatiably curious. 

“Strawberry daiquiri.” 

She'd tasted like strawberries, bright and tart against his tongue as she'd spread herself wide and let him drink his fill, her cries echoing where Adam could not hear them. 

Lucifer throws back another shot and lets it wash away the half remembered flavor. 

“I know you don't want me here,” she says. 

“Yes, I believe that's why I asked you to remain in the penthouse,” he answers tersely, deliberately misunderstanding. 

Eve has refused to tell him why she's come or how she got here. All she will say on the matter is, “I missed you,” and will draw her touch down his cheek. As long as she isn't here to avenge her son’s death or harm the Detective, he finds himself unwilling to press further.

She meets his gaze, brown eyes boring into his. He resists the urge to fidget. He's no longer the naive little angel he once was. He's the Devil, wrath incarnate, darkness in its worst form. Evil. He is nothing like what he once was. 

But she doesn't see that. Eve looks at him like he's still wrapped in his Father's glory, pure and holy. After eons of being looked at in horror and fear, it's like the sweet rush of heroine, painful and addictive. 

The glass makes a high pitched whining noise and he realizes he's squeezing it too tight and any moment it will break. 

He releases it like it's burned him. 

Eve reaches out, encircles her fingers around his wrist the way a serpent entangles a branch. There's no danger in it, though, her eyes are warm in Lux’s low lighting. 

“Sam,” she entreats. 

His whole body stiffens. His name is an old wound, not fully healed. Then his spine loosens, body language going soft. It's been...so long since someone called him that, someone who knew him, knew what it meant. 

“Eve,” he says, the single syllable of her name spilling of his tongue with too much ease. His body curls towards her, unable to resist the pull of habit. Perhaps those shots were a mistake. “That's not who I am anymore.”

“It _is_ ,” she insists. Her chin lifts, obstinate. He shakes his head, but doesn't pull away when she tugs at him. “It always will be.”

He smiles, but it's tight, bittersweet. The pull of scar tissue. “I'm not him -”

“You have _always_ been stubborn,” and there's something amused tucked in the corner of her mouth. “That hasn't changed.”

“ _Eve_ ,” he warns. But when has she ever given heed to a warning? She dashed headlong into things, same as him. But his Father taught him fear and punishment, and so he learned caution. She never did. 

“This work you do, with her,” Eve says and they both know that she's speaking about the Detective even as she avoids using Chloe's name. “You help people, don't you? Isn't that what you tried to do? Help me? Free me?”

“Stop this.” It's intended to be a command, but it's hoarse and wavering. 

“And this,” she says, gesturing to the club around them with one hand, the patrons that dance and drink and sin. “Is this not also what you shared with me?” Her grip on his wrist tightens and her grin turns seductive. It makes his heart pound the same as it did when he was first graced by it. 

He wants to say no, that what they had in the garden was _different_ , that it was more than some flippant desire, more than just satiating lust. But he's not sure if it would be a lie and so he says nothing. 

They were both young and foolish and wanted too much. Wanted things they could not have. 

Lucifer has grown used to wanting. 

There's some sort of twisted irony in it, he's sure. The creature who can fulfill every desire but his own. It sounds like the kind of punishment his Father would enjoy. So Lucifer will accept the things offered to him and never take what he truly wants. He isn't worthy of it. He'll never be worthy of it. 

Eve’s free hand draws down his front, fingers trailing low on his belly. Heat simmers. “You always did like to play,” she says, voice dipping. She steps in, close. Intimate. 

Lucifer swallows. Her mouth is near his throat, his lips. He can feel the puff of warmth as she exhales against his skin. All it would take is the slightest dip of his head and they would - 

She drops into a murmur. “Come play with me, Samael.”

Eve pulls him away from the bar and toward the dance floor and he is but helpless to follow her. 

Neither of them see Chloe watch them go, close enough to hear Eve's final sentence before they're swallowed up in the crowd. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (don't worry there's a happy ending)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “At least Eve knows who and what I am.” He’s given up.
> 
> And Chloe realizes what her distance is costing him. Eve may be manipulating Lucifer to her own ends, but Chloe has been causing him pain, too. She can’t go back and do it over, cannot change her reaction to the truth. All she can do is try to heal the damage she caused that allowed Eve to slither in through the cracks. 
> 
> “No,” Chloe says, almost before she can help herself. “No.” she repeats it, more firm. “She may know what you are, but she has no idea _who_ you are.” Her thumbs rasp gently over his scruff, thicker than he usually allows it. “You're Lucifer.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> big shout out to [Ms Aqua Marvella](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsAquaMarvella/pseuds/MsAquaMarvella) for inspiring a second chapter and letting me steal their work   
> <3

The next day, Lucifer walks into the precinct looking haggard, as if he didn’t sleep. Chloe tries not to think about what that implies. As usual, he sets down a cup of coffee he’s bought just for her on her desk.

“Thanks,” she replies quietly.

“You’re quite welcome, Detective,” he says with a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

Taking a sip, the liquid makes her shiver, despite its hot temperature.

She glances over and he's staring off into the distance, eyes sunken in his face. He's not unkempt, but something doesn't sit right. 

She sets her mug down. “...Are you okay?” she finally asks him, breaking the silence. 

He turns and opens his mouth to answer when their temporary Lieutenant calls out her name. She scowls but looks up to see the man gesture her into his office. She stands, presses a brief touch to Lucifer's shoulder as she goes. 

For a moment she hopes they have a case, anything to get them working together, working through this weird standstill they are at right now. 

When the truth about Lucifer revealed, Chloe had been shocked. She'd had questions and Lucifer promised to answer whatever he could. And he did. He'd told her everything. 

She hadn't liked the answers. 

They'd been in this uneasy, in-between place ever since; Chloe willfully ignoring anything strange, and Lucifer never mentioning it. Both of them miserable and forcing themselves to pretend they weren't. 

And then Eve had arrived and turned Lucifer's head. 

The Lieutenant had nothing important to say, droning on about paperwork and resources. Chloe only gives him half an ear and even less when she sees the woman she'd just been thinking about. So much for speak of the devil. 

Eve. The first woman. 

It's one thing for her to be in Lucifer's penthouse, his club. But something in Chloe's blood boils at seeing Eve in _her_ place of work, leaning over _her_ desk, talking to _her_ partner.

Finally, she's dismissed and she doesn't even give her boss the courtesy of a goodbye, leaving the office and heading towards Lucifer and Eve with quick strides. 

They look like they’re in the middle of a disagreement, though a mild one. Chloe pauses in her approach. 

Eve fiddles with Lucifer's collar, red painted nails tailing his throat. “But I want to have you all to myself.” Some would find her plea seductive, but Chloe just finds it grating. 

“I can’t just close my club on your every whim,” he protests. 

“Please, Sam?” 

Chloe's heart lurches. There's that name again. _Sam, Samael._

Lucifer shifts and then sighs. “Alright,” he says softly, “But only this once.” 

Eve grins, bright and pleased. Then she meets Chloe's eyes over Lucifer's shoulder. It's akin to being stared down by a viper, pinned down by a slippery predator. The woman's grin devolves into a smirk, cunning and sharp. She leans forward and presses her lips to Lucifer's cheek, maintaining eye contact with Chloe the entire time. Jealousy and anger curdle in Chloe’s gut.

Then Eve is gone again in a whirl of motion. Lucifer still has his back toward Chloe and the line of his shoulders is tight. She takes a moment to try and find a way to breathe around the hole in her chest. 

Chloe forces herself forward, takes a seat at her empty desk and refuses to let the heat pricking in the back of her eyes go any further. 

It's not just that Lucifer is interested in someone else, though that does sting. It's not even that he and Eve have a history. 

It's how Eve treats him. 

Chloe tries to swallow down the hurt still aching from the previous night, but it bubbles up to the surface.

“So, Samael, huh?” It comes out with more bite than she intends. The age old human instinct to lash out, match hurt for hurt.

It's ironic, the one time Chloe finally believes she knows him, the truth about him, more secrets show up. But whatever petty vindication she feels is quickly replaced with regret. 

He flinches like she's slapped him.

“Don’t.” His words are sharp, but his eyes betray his heartbreak. There's something wounded there. “Please. Don't call me that.”

“I’m sorry,” she answers immediately, putting as much sincerity into her voice as she can. She doesn’t quite understand, but she's crossed some invisible line with him. 

He shudders. She doesn’t know if it’s from relief at her easy agreement or something worse.

“Can...can we talk?”

He looks at her. The shadows in his face deepen. “If we must,” he replies. “Though it didn't seem to do much good last time.”

She wants this time to be different. It _will_ be different. She gets to her feet and is relieved when he gets up to follow her. 

There's an interview room available, so she pulls open the door that leads to the viewing side. There's no need for this to feel more like an interrogation than it already does. 

“Okay,” Chloe says, wiping her hands on her jeans. Then silence falls. The same awkward, weary silence that's been pervading all of their interactions. 

He raises his brows as it stretches on. “I believe there was something you wanted to discuss?”

“Yes.” She takes a breath. How is she supposed to start this? How is she supposed to tell him how worried she is, how sorry she is?

“And that would be...?” he prompts again, impatient. 

“You have to know she's manipulating you,” Chloe says, an edge of desperation in her voice. 

He snorts, but it's weak. “Of course I do.”

Chloe blinks. 

He smiles at her, but there's no joy in it. “I'm _millennia_ old, Chloe, I know when I'm being toyed with. Eve isn't even half as skillful at it as my mother was.”

Chloe doesn't understand. “Then why-”

“What else is there for me?” His voice is full of despair. “That I entertain an endless string of lovers who hardly give me a second thought?” He meets her eyes and he looks exhausted. 

It's not the manic sleeplessness she'd seen in him once before. This is different. He looks empty. Hollowed out.

“I'm _tired_ , Chloe,” he admits and it makes her go cold all over. “At least Eve knows who and what I am.” He’s given up.

And Chloe realizes what her distance is costing him. Eve may be manipulating Lucifer to her own ends, but Chloe has been causing him pain, too. She can’t go back and do it over, cannot change her reaction to the truth. All she can do is try to heal the damage she caused that allowed Eve to slither in through the cracks. 

“No,” Chloe says, almost before she can help herself. She steps forward, doesn't go for his wrists as she's seen Eve do half a dozen times, but lifts her hands to his face. 

Almost immediately at her touch does he go lax, letting her cradle the weight of his head. His eyes close for a moment. 

“No.” Chloe repeats it, more firm. “She may know what you are, but she has no idea _who_ you are.” Her thumbs rasp gently over his scruff, thicker than he usually allows it. “You're Lucifer.”

He shivers. 

“You're a gentleman in the worst way and a scoundrel in the best. You protect the people you care about even when it costs you. You listen to Ella talk about her work and you’ve been there for Dan even when he was mad at you. You play stupid board games with my daughter and fight over apple juice.” Chloe hears her voice crack, but he's staring at her in shock so she can't stop now. “You bring light wherever you go, Lucifer. You brought light back into my life.” She clutches at him. 

“Chloe,” he whispers. There's always been some power in names. In hers and in his. “I've brought nothing but fear and death-”

“ _No_ ,” she says again. 

“Don't lie to me, Chloe. I can't - anything but that.”

“I was scared.” Her confession makes him still. “I was scared of what it all meant and my place in it. When you told me - I needed time. To process.”

Sometimes she still gets caught on it. Who and what _she_ is, his Father and brother's role in it. 

Lucifer makes a scoffing sort of noise in his throat. She grips his face tighter in response, bends him down to her. 

“I'm sorry that I hurt you, but I need you to know I wasn't scared of you, I would never be scared of you. Because I know _who you really are._ ” She presses her forehead to his, as if she could directly transfer the intensity of her thoughts to him. 

His hands rise to wrap around her wrists, hot against her skin. There’s a flash of memory, of the last time he had gripped her that tightly. The slightest brush of scar tissue against the pads of her fingers. 

“Lucifer, I can't lose you, please.” Chloe’s throat burns with emotion. “Even if - even if you don’t want anything more than our partnership after I’ve pushed you away...” Chloe sucks in a shaky breath. “She’s _hurting_ you, Lucifer.” 

“I know,” he says, wretched. “But after everything I’ve done, it’s the least I deserve.”

God. That makes it even _worse_. “No,” she refutes again, the syllable tight and choked and anguished. Her hands slide to the back of his head, tangles in his hair. She will beg if she has to. “Don't go back to her.” 

“Chloe.” His face twists with distress. 

“ _Promise_ me.” She digs her nails in. “Lucifer, please.”

“I - I give you my word.” 

His arms come around her, pulls her into his embrace. Chloe tucks her face into his throat and breathes as he shudders against her. She just winds her arms around his neck and holds on. 

Afterwards, once Lucifer has gathered himself, Chloe gets back to her desk and plans. This isn’t something she can tackle on her own. She needs reinforcements. That’s what causes her to surreptitiously glance around to check to see if anyone is watching her and bring her palms together. 

She closes her eyes, scrunches her nose, and focuses. _Amenadiel,_ she thinks, _I know it’s not your thing, but I could use a favor._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chloe gon protec her man


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “As for you, little miracle, why are _you_ doing this?” Eve asks, brow arched. “It seemed like you wanted nothing to do with him.”
> 
> Chloe doesn’t allow Eve’s insult to sting, but faces her calmly. “Even if we aren’t -” She stops. Reorders her thoughts. “Even if Lucifer and I aren’t any more than we are now, I will still protect him.”
> 
> Eve raises a brow, both impressed and sarcastic. “How noble.”
> 
> Chloe isn't fazed. “Families protect each other.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the delay, I ended up scrapping my chapter three and rewriting it since i wasn't feeling it. This one vibes a lot better (and you get a fourth chapter out of it, too)

Chloe sends Lucifer home. Surprisingly, he makes no argument. She’s concerned at first, afraid he will take it as a rejection. He doesn’t react and she strains to read him, something blank about his face. She reaches out to squeeze his fingers and his eyes lose that hunted quality, the line of his shoulder relaxes. 

She spends the next hour or so making phone calls, calling in reinforcements. She’s just gotten off the phone with Dan when all her papers on her desk flutter. When she looks up Amenadiel is standing there, a dark expression on his face.

“What has happened?” he asks, his voice sharp like a military commander. 

Chloe glances around, but no one seems to have noticed Amenadiel’s sudden appearance, nor the inexplicable gust of wind that accompanied him. 

“How did you do that?” Chloe asks, curious despite herself. Lucifer hadn’t spoken too much about his brother in his tell-all, but enough for her to grasp that Amenadiel had been punished for his mistakes and had eventually redeemed himself. 

“I can freeze time,” Amenadiel answers briskly. “What has happened, Chloe? What would cause you to pray to me?”

Direct is probably best. “Eve is here.”

His eyes widen and then narrow before he lets loose a string of obscenities. Despite not knowing the language, Chloe knows the sound of swearing. “For how long?”

“A few weeks.”

“And my brother?”

“He’s been...keeping her busy.”

Amenadiel’s expression darkens like thunder on the horizon. “If she gets her claws into him again, I fear he will never be free of her.”

“I made him promise,” the words tumble out. Amenadiel’s gaze swivels to her, piercing. “I made him promise not to go back to her.”

“And he agreed to this?” His voice is careful. 

Chloe nods. Amenadiel exhales and collapses into the chair his brother usually occupies. “Then there is hope.” He takes a deep breath and sits up a little. “I’m glad you called me, Chloe. We must ensure she causes him no further damage.”

She leans forward, elbows braced against the desk. “I actually have a few ideas about that.”

* 

When Chloe pulls up to Lux, she sees that Dan has just arrived, walking up to the entrance with Trixie a step behind. To keep her hands from trembling, she shoves them under her legs. 

“You’re doing the right thing,” Amenadiel intones. “Have courage.” He touches her arm before disappearing in the blink of an eye, only to show up behind Dan. 

Chloe takes a deep breath and exits the vehicle. Lucifer has just pulled Lux’s door open, blinking in surprise to see Trixie standing before him. Her daughter swiftly encompasses his waist in a hug despite Lucifer’s squirms. 

Chloe is close enough to catch Dan’s words. “Hey, sorry, we're a little early.” 

“Early?” Lucifer seems bewildered and confused by their presence.

“On the contrary, you are right on time.” Amenadiel says, walking up behind Dan. “Trust me.”

“Amenadiel!” Lucifer sounds shocked. He doesn't fight the warm embrace that his brother pulls him into, clapping him on the back. They pulls away after a moment, Lucifer still gripping Amenadiel's shoulders. “What are you doing here? I thought you were off prancing around in the Silver City.”

His brother grins. “It's family game night, isn't it? And last I checked, we were family.”

“Family game night?” Lucifer repeats slowly. By now she’s reached the door as well. “Detective,” he murmurs, meeting her eyes. 

“Lucifer,” she smiles, slipping her arms around him in a hug of her own, going up on her toes to press a kiss to his cheek. His own arms come around her and for a moment it doesn't seem like he’s willing to let her go but allows her to slip back down to the floor. 

“I assume you're the responsible party for this event?” He tries to look stern but fails. 

She smiles. “We thought since you couldn't make it, we would bring family game night to you.”

This clearly hadn't been at all what he was expecting when she said she would take care of it.

“Was that all right?” she asks softly. She’s worried she’d done wrong, overstepped her bounds. But she needn’t fear. 

“Yes,” he answers, and it is true and untarnished. “Shall I expect more guests? Prepare Lux for a siege of visitors?”

She laughs. “No more guests. Ella wanted to come, but couldn’t make it and Linda had clients.”

Lucifer makes a sound of acknowledgement. “Perhaps next time.”

That reply confirms she made the right choice. It was time to remind Lucifer that he had people in his corner, who cared about him. “Come inside. What game are we playing? I think the finer points of Monopoly might escape my brother.”

“We brought Apples to Apples,” Trixie tells him, grinning. 

Mischief curls the edge of Chloe’s mouth. “Too on the nose?”

Lucifer breaks first, laughter tumbling out of him. Dan joins in and Amenadiel ducks his head to hide his growing smile as he quietly join in the amusement. 

“Thank you, spawn,” he says, taking the box from her. “It wasn’t an apple in any case. That’s just a story.” 

“Really?” Trixie asks, curious.

“The fruit has since died out, but it was a bit like a medlar, a bit like a pear.” His head tilts a little, musing. “Sweet,” he says, “and then bitter.” 

Amenadiel lays his hand on his shoulder, effortlessly pulling him from his thoughts, clearing the shadows from Lucifer’s eyes. “Speaking of sweet, is it possible to get a cosmo around here?”

Lucifer pulls a face. “Yes, all right.” He sets the game down on a booth table and goes to fetch them drinks. 

Amenadiel and Chloe make eye contact and he nods. Eve has been drawn down by the commotion. She seems just as surprised as Lucifer had been to see them all there. Her face sours briefly before it’s wiped clear. Amenadiel acknowledges Eve's presence with the barest nod. 

Lucifer has returned with drinks, including a juice box for Trixie. He freezes at the sight of Eve watching them. 

“I didn’t realize we’d be entertaining guests tonight,” she says.

“It’s family game night!” Trixie answers, loud and bright. “We have one every week.”

The air turns slightly awkward as it’s been clear Lucifer has been absent from the last few game nights. He quickly covers. “Yes, I’ve been unfortunately preoccupied as of late...” he trails off, shifting awkwardly.

“It just wasn’t the same without you,” Dan fills in. “So we thought we’d crash Lux since we heard you’d closed the club.” Lucifer seems pleased by that and Dan shoots Chloe a wink. Dan holds out a hand to Eve. “I don’t think we’ve properly met. I’m Dan.”

“Eve,” she replies, looking up at Dan through her lashes. He flicks a disbelieving look in Lucifer’s direction but doesn’t comment. 

“Shall we get started?” Amenadiel asks, taking a seat in the booth. 

“Mind if I join you?” Eve sits, confident in their acquiescence. “How does one play this game?”

Her intrusion has made everyone uneasy, but it dissipates as Dan slides in next to her, hemming Eve between himself and Amenadiel. Chloe takes a seat and Lucifer follows, pressing against her side. With plenty of liquid lubrication, conversation flows smoothly as Dan explains the game. 

The rules aren't complex and soon laughs and wry jokes flow freely. Lucifer easily falls into the role of host, being his normal charming self. It’s the first time she’s seen him relax since everything. He is solid against her, warm through his layers. He playfully nudges his toes against hers causing her to glance over. He grins at her a little foolishly and she mirrors his expression. Delight fizzles and pop in her chest, bright and tart like champagne.

They hit a bit of snag when Dan lightheartedly accuses Lucifer of cheating after winning three rounds in a row. 

“He’s the devil, Dan. He doesn’t cheat,” Chloe rebukes a bit fondly.

Dan sputters a little. “What, so, you believe him now?” 

Chloe gazes at Lucifer. She’s untroubled, a hint of a smile pulling her mouth. “Yeah. Yeah, I do.” She looks askance at Dan. “Devil or not, it doesn’t change much.”

Lucifer opens his mouth to disagree, but Chloe gently pinches the soft spot beneath his knee under the table in silent reproof. He jolts a little and glares at her, but she just meets his attention beatifically. 

Dan studies the two of them for a moment, his gaze calculating. Then he snorts and shakes his head. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“Could you fetch me drink, darling? Perhaps the wine from the other night.” Eve punctures the little bubble they’d formed and Chloe can feel Lucifer stiffen. 

“It's all the way down in the cellar.” It's not exactly a protest, but it's certainly less than willing. 

“You don't mind, do you?” She makes her eyes large and guileless. 

His lips thin. “Of course not.” He gets to his feet. Chloe’s hand feels chilled without him underneath it. They watch as Lucifer leaves the table and vanishes into a back door. 

Eve leans across the table, black eyes fixed on Chloe. “Whatever game you're playing, you won’t win.” 

“Clearly, Lucifer is winning,” Amenadiel says mildly, nodding his head at Lucifer’s stack of green cards. 

Eve snorts. “Don’t be obtuse, angel.”

“I don’t understand. If you care for him, why are you doing this? Is it revenge for what happened to Cain?” Chloe can’t seem to grasp Eve’s motive. 

“Fictionally,” Amenadiel amends, though no one bears him any mind. 

Eve scoffs. “Of course not. Cain deserved what he got.”

“He was your _son_.” Chloe is shocked by Eve’s apathy. 

Eve studies her with hard eyes, head tilted. Chloe doesn’t shrink back. “It is Lucifer’s right to mete out punishment.” Her answer is unconcerned. “And he did.”

“Allegedly,” Amenadiel cuts in, eyeing Dan. 

“As for you, little miracle, why are _you_ doing this?” Eve asks, brow arched. “It seemed like you wanted nothing to do with him.”

Chloe doesn’t allow Eve’s insult to sting, but faces her calmly. “Even if we aren’t -” She stops. Reorders her thoughts. “Even if Lucifer and I aren’t any more than we are now, I will still protect him.”

Eve raises a brow, both impressed and sarcastic. “How noble.”

Chloe isn't fazed. “Families protect each other.”

Something sad flickers across the other woman’s expression. “Not in our experience.”

“That’s enough,” Lucifer says having reappeared from below, his voice firm. He sets Eve’s bottle down, the glass hitting the table with a chink. Miraculously, it doesn’t break. Eve takes his rebuke, looking surprised. 

When Lucifer retake his seat Chloe’s intertwines their fingers. He looks at her gratefully. She shifts her thumb to his wrist, running over the pulsepoint. It flutters under her touch and Lucifer’s gaze is soft when she looks up to meet his eyes. It makes her feel breathless.

Conversation resumes slowly, subdued like a kicked animal, Dan is especially quiet in a way that would normally have Chloe worried, but he hasn’t run for the hills yet. But gradually it returns to previous levels of ease. Trixie makes a quick witted joke or two, making the adults laugh and soon the little hiccup is forgotten. 

Dan is the first to bow out after Trixie starts dozing off against his side. He thanks them for the invite and picks up his child. Chloe kisses her daughter’s head and tells Dan goodbye. It starts a cascading effect that has Amenadiel standing also. 

“I'm afraid I must be returning home as well,” Amenadiel says, sounding disappointed. “But this was fun. Perhaps I can drop by again sometime in the future?”

Lucifer smiles. “I'd like that. Come, I'll walk you out.”

“Hold on a minute, angel,” Eve says to Amenadiel, getting to her feet. “I'd like to have a word with you and Lucifer.” Then she hooks her arm around Amenadiel's and starts leading him outside. She turns to look over her shoulder at Lucifer, her dark eyes beckoning. “Coming?” It sounds like a request, but it isn't. 

“In a moment,” he answers.

She nods and disappears outside with his brother. 

Lucifer fixes his attention on Chloe, falling back into flirting. “Tonight was most pleasant, Detective. Maybe the next time you grace Lux with your presence we might have fewer interlopers?” 

Chloe doesn’t take the bait but considers him seriously. “As much as I enjoy having you all to myself, that's not what you needed.”

He clears his throat, emotion stealing over him. “Thank you.” 

She reaches out to squeeze his fingers like she had once before. “Go,” she tells him. “I’ll be here when you get back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one more to go!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eve tilts her head. “Your Detective is quite valiant, but even miracles can be clumsy when handling delicate things. Be careful with your heart,” Eve cautions. “Or you might find it breaking.”
> 
> “She isn’t you,” Lucifer says, taken aback by the sudden acid in his voice. An old pain. Eve just stares back placidly and shame curls in his gut. 
> 
> “No,” she confirms, “she’s not.” She reaches up to lay a gently hand to his cheek, gives him a reproachful little tap. “But Samael,” Eve says, with all the terrible gentleness of a snakebite. “She isn’t the forbidden fruit, either.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and now we see Lucifer's side of things

Lucifer doesn’t want to go when Chloe tells him to return to Lux. It’s partly out of cowardice, he knows. He doesn’t want to go back to where Eve waits for him. His honesty extends to himself, and he knows he’s fragile when it comes to her. Weak. But Chloe squeezed his fingers tightly before he left, her eyes burning with determination, electric blue. It gives him strength, steels his spine. 

Eve has tried to draw him upstairs, her gaze hungry, the slope of her neckline seductive. Her fingers drift at his collar, trail down his throat. Any other night he would have gone. He would let Eve lead him upstairs, would fall into bed with her, would have sought what little comfort he could in her familiarity. He had, in fact, before Chloe had elicited a promise from him. 

The temptation is there, even now. To give in. But he’d given his word. 

So he remains at the downstairs piano, steadily working his way through a pack of cigarettes, nerves slowly fraying. He hasn’t heard from Chloe since he’d left, no matter how diligently he checks his phone. 

Then someone knocks at his door. He’s hoping it’s Chloe, but it’s probably some overly zealous club goers who can’t read that Lux is closed. 

It’s Trixie. Swiftly followed by Dan and Amenadiel. Trixie darts forward and grips his waist in a hug that does its level best to compress him with her childlike strength. It feels...nice. In an awful sort of way, of course. A little like getting caught in the gravity of a newly born star. 

Amenadiel enfolds him into a brotherly embrace, softening the surprise at seeing him. 

Then the Detective herself arrives. Chloe. She encompasses him in a hug, his third of the night and he doesn’t want to let her go, wants to keep her pressed tightly against him, but he lets her slip back to her feet. 

She’s so awfully pleased with herself, bringing her family and his together for a night of fun. It wasn’t how he thought she would handle the situation at all. He’d been thinking cat-fights and well placed bullets, but he’d underestimated her. Chloe has struck a crueler blow than he thinks she intended. In this way she’s showing Eve that she’s...superfluous. That Lucifer has no need of her. That he is wanted and loved and there is no space for Eve here. 

And, perhaps, also reminding him. 

Though Eve manages to insinuate herself regardless. Lucifer can hardly pay her any mind, trapped between his brother and Daniel, when Chloe’s hand is on his leg. It’s closer to his knee than his thigh, but it matters little. It sets his blood warming, even when she uses it to her advantage to discipline him, pinching. He tries to glare at her, but she just grins at him, unabashed.

To hear her proclaim him Devil and look on him so fondly is well worth the minor sting. 

He doesn’t wish to leave Chloe’s side, but Eve’s request sends him to the basement. It’s only a moment to locate the bottle and retrieve it, he takes the stairs three at a time on the way up. He just manages to catch Chloe and Eve’s last exchange. 

“Families protect each other.”

“Not in our experience.”

He knows that Eve believes that. Hell, there’s a measure of truth to it, and that’s what makes it so terrible. But she’s wrong. Lucifer’s family is here, right now, doing their best to protect him. He finds himself abruptly angry with Eve, the most emotion he’s been able to summon regarding her since she’d arrived. 

He forcibly concludes the conversation. It’s affected the atmosphere, but thankfully, only temporarily. Chloe takes his hand under the table and he holds on like it’s a lifeline. 

Laughing and playing, Chloe pressed to his one side, Amenadiel braced on the other, Lucifer feels...safe. Warm. Chloe’s thumb has shifted to his wrist, running over the pulsepoint. He feels his heart stutter and she glances at him knowingly. The embers in his belly flicker into something a little more intense, like lust without the urgency, something calm and powerful. It makes him feel like he could snap out his wings and fly without ever tiring. 

All too soon the night comes to an end. Lucifer is sad to see them off, but grateful for their company. His brother asks for permission to visit, which he happily grants. He goes to walk Amenadiel out and a word from Eve has them pausing. She wishes to speak with them. She hooks her arm around Amenadiel's and starts leading him outside. Eve directs an expectant gaze back at him.

“Coming?” Her tone demands compliance. 

“In a moment.” He resists her politely. He is not hers to command. 

He turns back to Chloe, slipping back into his charming persona. “Tonight was most pleasant, Detective. Maybe the next time you grace Lux with your presence we might have fewer interlopers?” He waggles his eyebrows at her. 

Chloe looks up at him, her eyes serious. “As much as I enjoy having you all to myself, that's not what you needed.”

Lucifer is overtaken by a wave of sudden, crippling gratitude. Chloe has perfectly anticipated his needs and rallied support. 

He clears his throat. “Thank you.” 

She smiles and takes his hand. Squeezes, imparting strength once again. “Go,” she says. “I’ll be here when you get back.”

So he does.

Lucifer spots his brother and Eve standing a little ways outside of Lux’s entrance. “What is it that you couldn't say inside?” he asks, irritated at being pulled away from Chloe’s side.

Eve takes a moment to look him over. Then she smiles, soft and secret. “As wonderful as it was seeing you again, Sam, I think it’s time I leave.”

Lucifer feels like he’s been struck. To hear Eve say it so casually, like he hadn’t nearly destroyed himself over her presence, is nearly as painful as the act itself.

The suddenness of her departure makes something young and desperate inside him want to hold on to her, to keep her with him, but he knows he can’t. She was never very good at being confined. Eve was all he knew, once upon a time, but now he’s grown beyond her. So instead of protesting, he just nods. 

“Yes, I think so, too.”

She tilts her head, like that was the answer she had expected. “Your Detective is quite valiant, but even miracles can be clumsy when handling delicate things. Be careful with your heart,” Eve cautions. “Or you might find it breaking.”

“She isn’t you,” Lucifer says, taken aback by the sudden acid in his voice. An old pain. Eve just stares back placidly and shame curls in his gut. 

“No,” she confirms, “she’s not.” She reaches up to lay a gently hand to his cheek, gives him a reproachful little tap. “But Samael,” Eve says, with all the terrible gentleness of a snakebite. “She isn’t the forbidden fruit, either.” 

He can remember it bursting in his mouth, the taste heightened by the risk, the feeling like they were getting away with something. Then the abrupt acerbic shift against his tongue. But he's in no mood for cryptic words and Eve can tell. 

“It’s clear she cares about you. I wasn’t sure at first, but I think tonight made it clear. It’s no secret how you feel, I see the way you look at her. All I'm saying is that it won't kill you to give into temptation.” She raises a brow. “Go on,” she coaxes, echoing his own words from forever ago. “Take a bite.” Then she grins and pushes him back towards the club. 

Surprise causes him to stumble, but he follows the direction Eve had prompted. Inside Chloe waits for him. 

*

Amenadiel and Eve watch him leave.

“I cannot tell if you're being kind or cruel,” Amenadiel says, voice low. 

Eve smirks. “They aren't mutually exclusive.”

Amenadiel snorts. “I didn't think you would let him go.”

“I will always love him,” Eve says, voice certain. “But we were never good for each other. The poisoned fruit of a poisoned tree.”

He folds his arms. “Then why come here?”

“Because I'd been told he was unhappy. Because he deserves to be fought for.” Eve gazes at the closed entrance. “She did that and more.”

“More?” Amenadiel asks, curious. 

“She put his feelings first. It was more than just gaining him from me to her, more than winning. It was making him happy, protecting him. That was something he and I never managed. We were both too young and selfish.” 

“I see,” Amenadiel says. 

Eve arches a brow. “Do you?” She adjusts the jacket around her shoulders. “I think I'm ready to go home now. My work here is done.”

Amenadiel's eyebrows raise. “Your work.”

She hums, a little mysteriously. “They would have continued to split apart, continued unwittingly harming each other unless something brought them together. I was more than happy to help. Besides, I really _did_ miss him.”

“Someone put you up to this?” He fails to keep the disbelief from his voice. 

“Did you never wonder how I got to Earth? Oh, little angel, such disinterest! Where is your thirst for knowledge?” She laughs, but it's not unkind. “Come now, let us depart. I have much to report.”

Amenadiel wants to ask more, but she offers her hand with an imperious look and so he takes it. His wings spread and with a great flap, they're gone. 

*

Chloe is picking up the empty glasses and setting them on the bar when Lucifer strides back in. She turns, something hopeful on her face before she wipes it clean leaving only friendliness behind. 

“How'd it go?” she asks, genuine. 

Desire and fear cause him to tremble as he stands before her. He could finally have what he’s most desired, could finally have what he wants, if he’s brave enough to take it. It nearly renders him mute, the sheer terror and intensity, the way his whole body aches with it.

Her expression starts to fall. “Is everything all right?” 

“Yes.” He sucks in a breath. “Eve has decided to leave. Amenadiel is taking her home.”

He’s a tangle of emotion about it, but his relief cuts through all of it like a demon blade. He’s glad she decided to go. He’s glad he didn’t have to make her. There is no place for Eve here anymore. 

“Oh, I'm sorry, Lucifer.” Despite how Chloe feels about Eve, she’s somehow sincerely sad for him. 

“I’m not,” he replies, effectively dismissing any concern over Eve's exit. “May I kiss you?” he asks, fervency stripping him of charm, only honestly left behind. 

He's startled her, but he can see how her eyes darken, the way her lips part just slightly. She answers his question with the press of her mouth against his. 

She isn't the fruit. He won't be punished for partaking. 

She offers herself up to him willingly. Her kiss is like dripping honey, the slide of her tongue is the warmth of light slanting in through windows. It makes him dizzy. It makes him hunger. He wants to savor every inch of her, drag his mouth against her skin, sip nectar from her deepest places. 

They part for air, his heart pounding thunderously in his chest. She smiles at him, lips kiss swollen, ripe for biting. He feels steady in a way that is unfamiliar, but good. 

There's no rush for whatever is going on between them, even as excitement jitters in his veins. He doesn't know what will happen tonight, if anything will happen tonight, or what the future will bring...but for once, he's not worried about it.

“Would,” he shifts a little nervously. “Would you like to come upstairs?” 

She twines their fingers together, looks up at him, blue eyes shining like stars. “Yeah. I would.” 

He dips down to indulge once more, to kiss her breathless, senseless. She moans softly and he takes advantage of her open mouth, reveling in the delicacy of her. 

Chloe tastes sweet and there is no bitterness with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


End file.
